Girl power leads to podium places
GIFT OF THE GABB: Lady rally driver Sammi Gabb takes on the boys at their own game. Picture: Phill Andrews Photography
Girl power behind the wheel has led to podium positions in their debut Championship year of rallying for dynamic duo Sammi Gabb and Tracey Cook.
After five rounds of the East Midlands Motor Club Association Championship, driver Sammi, of North Duffield, was awarded first in class and highest-placed lady while co-driver Tracey, from Pocklington, was second in class on the notes.
Sponsored by Autoserv Selby, the York Motor Club members also gained top results in the Association of North East Motor Clubs’ Multi-Use Rally Championship with Sammi third overall as well as top lady and Under-25s driver with Tracey again runner-up as navigator.
Sammi was also third overall in the British Women’s Racing Drivers’ Club awards.
With Tracey now concentrating on other forms of motorsport, Sammi will this year be competing with Wayne Smythe from Sheriff Hutton.
“We’ve been modifying the Peugeot 106 engine this year to make it a bit faster, and we’re all ready now,” she said.
This has even included swapping the failing gearbox with the better-performing one from her Citroen Saxo road car.
Sammi, 25, surprised herself with her success. “I didn’t expect to do that well and end up with so many trophies. But it didn’t all go to plan as, in a forest rally in the Lake District with Wayne (which didn’t count for the Championship), I rolled the car and had to crawl out of it upside down.
“Everyone was wondering if I was alright, but all I could say was, ‘My dad’s going to kill me’,” she recalled. Her dad Charlie is well-known in rallying circles.
As it is, she got the ‘Spirit of the Rally’ award for her pluck and, though she was uninjured, the car sustained a few dents which have since been repaired.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Goole
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.